Three NMMU graduates, Jan – Louis Werner, Emmanuel Nibishaka and Anton Botha, all from different, faculties and backgrounds have spread their wings and joined the employment of the United Nations in the United States of America in various positions.

BA Honours in Philosophy alumnus Anton Botha’s career took off when he was granted the Fulbright Scholarship in 2011. His current position in the UN is Chief Industrial and Organisational Psychologist for the UN Secretariat.

“Here I am responsible for developing selection procedure for UN staff selection and research,” he said.

“My most memorable varsity experience is what we called Super Wednesdays where we attended lectures from 7:45am to 15:30pm non-stop given to us by Prof Rowlands in the Accounting Department,” he recalls.

His five year plan is to publish some of the research he was involved with and also continue to expand the influence of the Industrial Psychology across the UN.

He describes his experience in the USA as “Continuous learning and development, perpetual humbling experience and meeting incredible people from across the world on a daily basis.”

BA Hons Industrial and Organisational Psychology graduate Jan-Louis Werner who is employed in the Examination and Tests Section in the Office of Human Resources Management and explains his big leap to the USA as more of an adjustment than leap. “I have been employed in South Korea prior to this position so for me it was not as much of a leap,” he said. “My previous international experience helped me to adapt quickly to the USA, the culture in South Korea was so different from South Africa where I feel the USA is a bit less of a culture shock in the USA.”

Some of the challenges he had to adapt to are the multi-cultural and international environment especially how he had to communicate with people from different cultures.

“My five year plan is to obtain a master’s degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology and to register as an accredited Industrial and Organisational Psychologist in South Africa,” he said.

MA Conflict and Transformation Management Emmanuel Nibishaka is the First Counselor to the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations. This shift happened when Nibishaka moved to Rwanda as a Lead Researcher in Rwandapedia Project, tasked to compile policies and political achievements of the Government of Rwanda since 1994.

“During Rwanda’s Security Council Tenure I covered most of the thematic issues on the agenda of the Council, including Protection of Civilians, Human Rights and Humanitarian issues, Women, Peace and Security (WPS), Children in Armed Conflicts (CAAC); and was the lead expert when Rwanda chaired the Ad Hoc Working Group on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa,” he said.

His portfolios also included the Peacebuilding Commission, the Responsibility to protect, and Prevention and Fight against Genocide, Conflict prevention; which he still follows today, in addition to covering the Sixth Committee (Legal Affairs) in the UN General Assembly.